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The Econ Lowdown e-newsletter is the most convenient way for economics and personal finance teachers to stay up-to-date on the latest videos, podcasts, curriculum, classroom activities and events from the St. Louis Fed.

The Great Depression Curriculum Interview series, recorded in 2008, is made up of conversations with St. Louis-area residents who lived through the Great Depression. The interviews provide students with first-person accounts of life between 1929 and 1940.

Teachers can get students talking about the videos with discussion questions (.pdf) based on the interviews.

Raymond and Anna Marie McIntyre

Raymond (born in 1923) and Anna Marie (born in 1927) discuss how neighbors and family helped each other during the Depression, entertainment during hard times, their jobs and salaries and transportation options.

Byron Gross and Sam Weber

Byron (born in 1914) and Sam (born in 1913) talk about President Roosevelt’s fireside chats, how the crisis affected them and their fellow St. Louisans, and lessons they learned from the Great Depression.

Margaret Barrett

Margaret (born in 1917) talks about bank closings, struggles in farming communities, her jobs and salary, going to school during the Depression, and the wonder of modern conveniences like electricity, indoor plumbing and the radio.